


A Hundred Thousand Wishes

by SilverAmoebasquid



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 2nd gen captains, But I HAD to complete my trifecta of 2nd gen captains ships!!!, I'm trash for EnnoAka thoughhh, M/M, Second gen captains, What is this??, oh my heck i love them please END ME, this is the first time I've written something without Shirabu??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-13
Updated: 2016-10-13
Packaged: 2018-08-22 04:09:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8272249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverAmoebasquid/pseuds/SilverAmoebasquid
Summary: Ennoshita is looking for stars to light his way. Akaashi is searching for the comfort of darkness to hide in. What they find is each other.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Ayyy I've completed my trifecta of 2nd gen captains ship fics! Link to [Pancakes and Perfect Dates](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7237546) (FutaYaha) and [This Means War](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7685914/chapters/17508064) (TeruShira) and now we have EnnoAka!!
> 
> As always, big ups to my best friends, [starlity](http://starlity.tumblr.com) and [tendouaf](http://tendouaf.tumblr.com) for diligently beta reading all the crap I throw at them!! I love you both and this couldn't have happened without youuuu!!!! <33333

The stars. God, the stars.

Floating.

Ennoshita scrabbled for purchase with his feet, feeling the loss of surface underneath him, his heart rising into his throat.

The stars were all around him, beckoning him, pushing him away. They pulsed with a white glow he couldn’t touch.

Not falling, floating. Just floating.

Beckoning. Repelling

Stars.

Weightlessness.

The light filled Ennoshita’s eyes and for a moment, he couldn’t figure out if he was still dreaming or not. The room was still dark, the smallest bit of light streaming through the crack in the curtains. He shakily stood up, walking slowly to the window, pulling back the drapes. A streetlight illuminated the street. They sky showed no signs of life.

Starless.

The ground beneath his feet was unmistakable.

* * *

For Akaashi, this day was like every other. His alarm went off at seven. He was already awake. He dressed and arrived to school within the same two minute window of time every day. Bokuto found him immediately, though the variation of his time of arrival was always much more inconsistent.

The days were passing without distinction. The sun would rise, the sun would set. He would go to school, mechanically taking notes. He would go to volleyball, the only source of happiness he usually found, the peace reaching him as he tossed ball after ball and had to stay on his toes to keep up with his teammates and Bokuto loitering in the gym, still trying to be a part of the club, despite how late in the year it was. He would walk back to his house, do some homework, then lay in bed and stare at the ceiling.

Akaashi always made sure his room was pitch black, even covering the digital clock with a hoodie so there would be no source of light wherever he looked.

And yet, there always was. Every time he closed his eyes, he was blinded by some inexplicable glow from behind his eyelids. So he’d open his eyes, stare at the darkness of his room, wish that he could somehow fall asleep.

* * *

It was an awkward time of year; Ennoshita could feel the barely masked emotions drifting through the air. The competition season was over for the year, nationals was over. There was nothing left. But the school year itself had yet to come to a close.

He and the other volleyball club members saw their third year friends around school, but they rarely had time to stop and talk, always busy getting themselves ready for graduation and college.

In a way, everything should’ve been crystal clear. Daichi had crowned him next captain of the volleyball club. Tanaka would be his vice, they’d keep working, just has hard as before and get themselves to nationals yet again. And yet, Ennoshita felt himself stumbling over everything he did, said, thought.

He hadn’t been a regular player last year. He’d played in part of one game when Daichi had been hurt, but even then he could hardly say that he’d stood out as an exceptional player or leader. And now he was expected to wear the number one and lead his team. His team. Everyone was fired up, ready to listen and get even further than they had this past year. But Ennoshita didn’t feel ready. He’d tried to talk to Daichi but the third year was almost always busy, which was understandable.

Every new day he pushed on through the fog, trying desperately to be able to see something new, something he hadn’t noticed before, but the path stayed obscured.

* * *

The lines were all too sharp and they hurt Akaashi’s eyes. Everything was so clearly defined, the next year and beyond, mapped out precisely before him. He was the captain, he’d take  
Fukurodani back to nationals, he could follow any path he wanted to after high school. He’d already gotten calls from universities, offering him a place in their school the next year. Of course though, there was only one place he wanted to go, the college Bokuto would be attending. There had never been a question in his mind that he had to follow him.

And yet, Akaashi wished the path wasn’t so easy to follow. He knew what was expected of him and how to follow through. But maybe he wanted to hide in unknowing for a while. Maybe the questions were comforting. Maybe he wanted to forge his own way, take the road less traveled. But what did that even look like?

He continued to ponder this as he stared at the ceiling once again. He had lost track of the days since the last time he’d gotten a full night of sleep, before the glow behind his eyelids wormed its prying eyes into everything he did and everything he thought. Sleeping was giving in. Instead of being an escape, it just made the burning worse.

* * *

The feeling was like a cool chill, running up his spine. Ennoshita looked at familiar faces, places he went everyday and they all looked foreign. Maybe that was just because he couldn’t tell what they meant anymore. Every relationship he’d formed was shifting, stuck in a limbo he couldn’t escape. People were noticing the rut he’d been falling further into of course.

He ended up spending even more time with his friends, studying at their houses, lingering to talk after practices. Through all of the talking they did, he tried not to let on how nervous everything made him, but he got the feeling they understood. Narita and Kinoshita never left his side, trying to help guide him. Nishinoya and Tanaka kept the energy up during practice when Ennoshita was too lost in his own thoughts to say something inspiring. It was pathetic. His vice was doing a better job of captaining than him. Noya was doing a better job than he was. Why couldn’t they have been elected into leadership instead of him. He wasn’t cut out for this.

Tanaka smacked Ennoshita on the back, snapping him out of his trance. “Stay sharp, Chikara!”

Ennoshita smiled slightly, finishing grabbing his backpack out of the locker after their Saturday practice. “Thank you. I will. I just keep getting stuck in my head.”

Noya had been lingering nearby and joined in the conversation. “Maybe you should do something different!”

“What do you mean?” Ennoshita tilted his head.

“You do the same thing every day and you expect to discover something new. Get a change of scenery!”

The gears started turning in Ennoshita’s mind again. “That’s brilliant actually... I’m not going to come over today, if that’s alright.” He started toward the door.

“Where are you gonna go?” Noya asked.

A smile spread across Ennoshita’s face. “I don’t know!”

* * *

The fatigue was getting to Akaashi obviously. It was why he couldn’t step out of his routines, because as soon as he tried to think, it became too much and he could never figure out how to make himself move the way he wanted to.

This was probably the reason he ran directly into someone as he passed through the entrance of the park.

“Sorry,” Akaashi mumbled and attempted to hurry away from any malice the person might have.

The other was too quick though, reaching out and snagging his arm. “Your name is Akaashi, right?”

Akaashi looked into the dark eyes in front of him. The teenage boy looked familiar. Volleyball immediately came to mind and he filtered through everyone he’d ever played against.

“...Karasuno. I’m sorry, I don’t think I know your name.”

The other boy smiled warmly. “Ennoshita Chikara.”

“Ah, I’m... Akaashi Keiji. You know me though. What are you doing so far from Miyagi?”

Ennoshita slid his hands into his pockets and gazed at the blue sky. “Change of scenery. I never particularly know what I’m doing anymore. How are things at Fukurodani?”

Akaashi decided not to press into Ennoshita’s existential crisis. “Things are going well here. I’m the captain now. That’s... Fun.”

Ennoshita smiled again. “I’m our new captain as well. But I guess that’s why I’m nervous. I don’t know how to lead a team. Daichi’s shoes are gonna be hard to fill. But I suppose you know all about that, Bokuto was a great captain, wasn’t he.”

Akaashi nodded. “He was a good captain. I can’t say I’m nervous though. I know exactly what needs to be done and how to do it.”

Ennoshita seemed to deflate slightly, but covered it with a chuckle. “Oh. Well good for you for having things under control. I envy you for that.”

“Yeah...” Akaashi agreed half-heartedly. “It was nice seeing you, Ennoshita.”

“Same to you, Akaashi.”

Akaashi nodded slightly and went back on his way. He felt almost light. It was a foreign feeling.

* * *

Ennoshita went back and forth, indecision a common concept to him. His thumb hovered over the send button.

Immediately after parting ways with Akaashi, Ennoshita had an idea. It hadn’t been that easy of a task, Ennoshita had texted Hinata who had texted Kenma, who’d asked Kuroo, who’d called Bokuto, but in the end, Ennoshita got Akaashi’s number anyway.

Taking a deep breath and rubbing the cool metal of the bench, Ennoshita sent the message. “Hey, it’s Ennoshita. I just thought you and I could benefit from talking to each other, new captains and such.”

Akaashi had responded seconds later. “Hello, Ennoshita. Sounds good.”

Ennoshita sighed. He knew Akaashi wasn’t much of a conversationalist, but something about listening to the other captain talk made him feel calm. “Maybe we can get our teams together for practice matches again this year.”

“Okay. Are you still in Tokyo?”

Ennoshita bit his lip. He was. He was seated on a bench a short distance away from the train station, unable to figure out when to go back home. “No, I’m back in Miyagi,” he lied.

“Oh. Then yes, you’ll have to come back sometime.”

Ennoshita froze. What did this mean?

Another text popped up from Akaashi before Ennoshita could figure out how to reply. “Sorry, I just meant that a practice match would benefit both of our teams.”

Trembling slightly, Ennoshita was glad for the keyboard standing between him and Akaashi. “No worries, I knew what you meant :) sounds like fun!”

A response from Akaashi never came.

Ennoshita could’ve told the truth, he could’ve said he was still in Tokyo. He probably could’ve seen Akaashi again this afternoon. Ennoshita hopped on the next train. “Stupid,” he bit his lip as the doors shut. “There goes my chance.”

* * *

“Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid,” Akaashi mumbled to himself in the pitch blackness. “Why the hell did I do that...”

He attempted to close his eyes again but was just met with the same blinding brightness behind his eyelids. Akaashi opened his eyes and found it hadn’t gone away. His phone screen was lit up.

Akaashi bit his lip and reached for the device. He’d hoped that by some miracle the message would get lost among the scattered signals criss-crossing the airwaves. Clearly, it had reached its destination though.

“Are you awake?” Akaashi had texted thirty seconds ago.

It was past 11pm but Ennoshita had responded anyway. “I am. What’s up?”

Akaashi wanted to throw his phone across the room, but it was too late now. “What do you do when you’re lost?”

“?? use a map?”

“Ah. No. I mean in your thoughts. You said to me that you didn’t know what you were doing and you felt lost.”

“Oh, that. I spend time with my friends. I go somewhere new, like random parks in Tokyo ;)”

“I feel like everything is too clear. What should I do to get lost?”

“You could always come visit Miyagi.”

“What would I do there?”

“Hang out with me.”

Akaashi froze. Had Ennoshita really just said that? He read the message over again. “You sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. I’m sure about everything.”  
“That was sarcastic.”  
“But I think I’m sure about this one.”  
“Please come.”

Akaashi smiled at the four quick messages. “Next weekend?”

“Yes please.”

“Alright, will do.”

“Great. We both need to get our lives together before the new school year starts again and we have to be effective leaders.”

“Agreed.”

“Akaashi?”

“Yes, Ennoshita?”

“Thank you for texting me.”

Akaashi considered before responding. “Thank you for replying.”

No more messages came in after that and Akaashi put his phone back onto the bedside table. When he closed his eyes, the light flooding his mind was a little dimmer before. He drifted into an uneasy doze, but it was sleep.

* * *

Ennoshita could hardly keep still as he sat on the bench at the train station. When the train came in, he leapt to his feet. There were business people, families on a quick weekend getaway, and a lanky teenage boy with messy black hair and a black backpack slung over one shoulder. Ennoshita couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he headed toward Akaashi.

“Hi, thanks for coming,” Ennoshita said. “Would you like to get something to eat? Train food probably isn’t all that tasty.”

“Sure, it definitely didn’t look at that appetizing.”

“Great, I’ll show you one of my favorite places!”

“Sounds great.”

Ennoshita couldn’t tell, he thought Akaashi was excited, he seemed content, but he couldn’t quite get a feel for Akaashi’s emotional spectrum.

* * *

They talked about volleyball and their teammates and their hopes for their last year of high school for hours.

Listening to Akaashi’s matter of fact way of stating things, Ennoshita gradually started to feel more at ease thinking about the future.

Hearing Ennoshita talk about everything that could be and what he dreamed, Akaashi felt his fears fade as well.

When they left the small restaurant the sun had already set, the edges of the horizon tinted with the last hints of orange and yellow. It was an uncharacteristically warm night for the spring and they weren’t chilly in their t-shirts. A soft breeze ruffled the leaves of trees along the road.

“It’s beautiful out here,” Akaashi commented quietly.

“It is...” Ennoshita agreed. “Come with me somewhere.”

Akaashi didn’t speak, just followed quietly as Ennoshita led him away from the lights of the small town.

The two took a seat on the top of a hill overlooking the countryside. Away from the streetlamps and cars and distractions, the world was still and quiet. Clouds turned dark in the twilight sky hazed across the heavens.

Akaashi looked to Ennoshita.

Ennoshita sat with his knees drawn up to his chin. “I don’t know,” he answered as if he’d heard the question in Akaashi’s gaze out loud. “I just wanted to get away from everything.”

Akaashi laid down on his back silently.

Ennoshita joined him. “Sorry, I don’t know what we’re doing here, I had a feeling, but I don’t think it’s actually anything.”

The corners of Akaashi’s mouth turned up. “Shh...” he said softly. “Stop apologizing.”

Ennoshita grinned and looked back up at the sky.

“Too bad the clouds are covering the stars. We could use a wish right about now.”

The two were lost in thought for a few minutes before the first drop of rain hit.

Ennoshita sat up immediately, anxiously looking back toward civilization.

Akaashi was getting wet too, but he bit his lip and grabbed Ennoshita’s wrist before he could stand up. “Stay. Please, I’m sorry. I want to stay here.”  
Ennoshita scanned over Akaashi’s face.

“I have a feeling too. We need to be here. It’s only a light rain and it’s not that cold.”

Ennoshita hesitantly laid back down in the damp grass, a bit of water dripping from his hair.

Akaashi slowly moved his hand down Ennoshita’s wrist, entwining their fingers together, his eyes never leaving Ennoshita’s, seeking permission.

Ennoshita squeezed Akaashi’s hand and moved an inch closer.

Akaashi was still trying to read Ennoshita’s expression. “What are you thinking...”

“It wasn’t supposed to rain tonight. There was no chance of rain. Maybe it’s a sign that we should just give up.”

“Maybe it’s a test to see if we stay.”

In one fluid movement, Ennoshita moved toward Akaashi again, the setter wrapping his arms around him, taking the weight of the rain and the clouds upon his shoulders. Ennoshita may have been crying. The entire world may have been crying. Akaashi may have been crying too, he couldn’t tell anymore. Akaashi buried his face in Ennoshita’s neck and listened to him breathe.

They waited several minutes. Ennoshita was thoroughly wet; Akaashi was pretty much soaked. One last fleeting prayer echoed through Akaashi’s mind before he was going to stand up.

Suddenly a warm gust of wind tousled their hair and they both looked up. The rain slowed to a stop in seconds, the cloud drifting away. In it’s place, stars lit up the blackness.

“That’s a lot of stars...” Akaashi breathed.

“That’s a lot of wishes.” Ennoshita smiled.

“All for us...”

Ennoshita chuckled softly. “How many do you think there are?”

Akaashi pondered this. “At least ten.”

Ennoshita giggled, smacking Akaashi lightly. “There’s definitely at least one hundred thousand.”

“One hundred thousand wishes.” Akaashi leaned his head on Ennoshita’s chest, eyes closed.

Ennoshita smiled and took one last look at the stars as well before falling asleep as well.

In his mind, Ennoshita was right where he wanted to be, feet planted solidly on the ground, the stars above, lighting the way for him. The feeling of weightlessness had faded along with the darkness.

In Akaashi’s mind, everything was finally blank, dark, and abstractly comforting for the first time in months.

They may have smiled a little in their sleep, knowing their wishes had come true. They used one more together, at the same time, wishing they would never have to leave each other’s side. 

And there were still 99,996 left to use.


End file.
